Landlords have a responsibility for keeping their rental properties in a working and acceptable condition for their tenants. Depending on the language of the contract, landlords must perform repair work or at least compensate tenants for repairs. If a tenant is dissatisfied with the landlord and believes the landlord is behaving improperly, the best recourse is to draft a complaint letter. This letter should be formal in its tone and specific in its content in case the composition is needed in court. Use these steps to write a complaint letter to your landlord.

Sample Letters of Complaint

Writing Your Own Letter of Complaint

Find your original contract that both you and your landlord signed upon your rental. Read it over carefully to make sure your landlord is in fact violating sections of the legal document.

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2

Compile pertinent documents.

Collect any receipts and itemized lists for repairs you've done out of your own pocket.

Make copies of each document as well as your rental contract to send along with the letter of complaint.

3

Decide what you want to result from the letter.

Think about what you would like the landlord's response to be. If the result you want is your landlord to fix a leaking ceiling, make sure you specifically note that in the body of the letter. If you want an apology or a reimbursement, those must also be asked for specifically.

4

Write a rough draft.

Write down everything you deem important for the landlord to hear. Do not worry about organization, spelling or grammar in the rough draft. Get all your thoughts onto paper.

Include dates and places of relevant occurrences. The more specific you are in your details, the more convincing the letter will be.

5

Edit the rough draft.

Organize your arguments.

Read through your rough draft for clarity and necessity.

Omit paragraphs that ramble on or are not directly related to your complaint. Replace slang with formal language.

Condense it to 1 page.

6

Draft the final letter.

Begin by including your name and address at the top of the letter. Underneath your information should be the landlord's information.

Write a subject for the letter. This might be "Ceiling still leaking."

Address the landlord formally as "Mr." or "Mrs."

Use a business-like tone when writing the final draft. You may express your dissatisfaction in the letter-in fact, you must-but it should be done using courtesy and tact.

Sign and date the letter. Make a copy for yourself before sending it along.

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